Welcome to the last of three lessons for the month of March about Jesus’ crucifixion.  Glad to have you along!
     Our story, “The Sun Stops Shining,” comes to us from The Jesus Storybook Bible, written by Sally Lloyd-Jones, and can be located on pages 302-309.
     Children: Reread the story out loud or silently. You could also choose to read the story to someone else in your family.
     Before we get to the good news that I promised, I would like to ask a few questions and make a couple of comments to get us all to think (ponder) a bit deeper about Jesus and His crucifixion:
           * If you were the only person alive, Jesus would have still died
for you!  
           * How does that make you feel, knowing an innocent person was
willing to die for your sins?
           * How does it make you want to respond? To live your life
differently?
     And now, after all of Jesus’ suffering, we are ready to hear the GREAT NEWS! After the crucifixion on Good Friday, He was laid to rest in a tomb and a huge stone was rolled in front of the opening. The following Sunday, the stone had mysteriously been rolled away and the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb, but an angel was waiting there to explain that Jesus wasn’t dead anymore. He was alive again! He had conquered death for the sake of our sins, as He said He would! And that is the sweet joy of celebrating Easter.
     Questions or comments? Respond on this blog to Pastor Steve and he will enjoy a discussion with you.
     Adults: The Biblical references for the Crucifixion story are Matthew 27, Mark 15, and John 19.
     Here are some thoughts for my grown-up readers to ponder as this particular story ends:
           * By trying so hard to prevent any kind of fraudulent later claims  
              that Jesus was resurrected, His enemies did us the great favor of
            providing powerful evidence. In truth, the fact that Jesus was killed
            is as certain as any event recorded in history. 
         * Have you ever wondered if any of the Roman soldiers, Jewish
            leaders, or people in the crowd chanting for Jesus’ crucifixion were
            among those who saw Him in His resurrected form? Here’s one thing
            we do know, based on everything Jesus taught: If their paths did
            cross, Jesus offered them His unending forgiveness and grace. That,
            my friends, is the Good News! We can do nothing to separate
            ourselves from God — except choose to turn our backs on Him.
         * The deeper meaning for Christians is that Jesus Christ's crucifixion
            does not represent pain and suffering. Rather, because it was part of
            a divine plan to save humanity, Jesus' crucifixion represents    
            salvation and His miraculous resurrection. Christians believe that   
            through Jesus' death and resurrection, people are reunited with God
            and receive new joy and power in this life as well as eternal life
 
     If you wish to ask any questions or make any comments, please use this blog to online chat with Pastor Steve.
 
~This Week’s Prayer: I thank God for His gift of salvation and eternal life with Him. Amen
      This week, Sunday School will meet for this story’s reading, discussion, and a fun craft at 11 am after church services. Snacks will be available. I hope to see you!
Have a blessed Easter,
Margo Greer

     Hi to everyone! I am glad that you can join me for this, March’s second of three online Learning Together lessons.
     Children: This month’s story is called “The Sun Stops Shining” and can be found on pages 302-309 of The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. To refresh your memory, please listen again to the story being read aloud to you. You could follow along in your own book and check out the book’s excellent pictures (illustrations) or draw your own illustrations as you listen.
     The Bible is divided into sections called “books.” Four of these books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, include the story of Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, and His resurrection. (The good news resurrection is my next week’s lesson. Remember, I said things would end happily for everyone!)
     Not all four books agree on all the details of what happened that day. When people witness an event or series of events, today or two thousand years ago, not all would remember exactly the same details. All four gospels do agree with the main facts - that Jesus was on trial, was killed, and was laid in a grave on this particular Friday, and all four believe that Jesus rescued everyone in the world by dying on the cross for our sins.
    The church calls the day of Jesus’ death Good (meaning holy) Friday. Events of that day include Jesus’ trial ending about 6 am, His crucifixion began 3 hours later at 9 am, and He died 6 hours after that at 3 pm.
     If you have any questions or comments about this story, please feel free to submit them to Pastor Steve through this blog.
     Adults: The Biblical references for our Crucifixion story are Matthew 27, Mark 15, and John 19.
     The Romans knew that once the victim was finally hanging from the cross, it could take hours for him to die. As Jesus fought off suffocation, He was forced to take the next breath by laboriously pulling Himself up by His wounded hands and feet. “The pain was absolutely unbearable,” observes Dr. Alexander Metherell, PhD. “In fact, it was literally beyond words to describe; they had to invent a new word: excruciating. Literally, excruciating means out of the cross.”
     Adds Myers, “When air was so precious, and each breath so painfully won, Jesus still used that breath to communicate with people who were near. The first sentence, looking down at the Roman soldiers throwing dice for His garment, is ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.’ In my mind, this is one of the most remarkable statements in all of Scripture.”
     Jewish law prohibited a crucified person from hanging on the cross during Sabbath, which is Saturday for them. So to hurry the process, Roman soldiers could decide to break the leg bones of the victim. The Bible tells us that the legs of the two thieves crucified with Christ were broken, but the soldiers did not need to break Jesus’ legs because they observed that He was already dead (John 19:32-33). Scripture tells us that it took Jesus six hours to die after being put on the cross.
     Pilate demanded certification of Jesus’ death before allowing His body to be removed from the cross. Only after four Roman executioners certified that Jesus was indeed dead, did Pilate give the order for His body to be removed. The executioners felt certain that Jesus was dead because when a great spear was thrust into Jesus’ side, both blood and water flowed out (John 19:34). Had Jesus been alive when the spear entered His body, strong spouts of blood would have emerged with every beat of His heart.
     As with the children, please feel free to ask questions or make comments to Pastor Steve on this blog. He would welcome them!
~This Week’s Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for suffering and dying on the cross for my sins. Amen
     Join me next week for the third and final on-line lesson about “The Sun Stops Shining.” Sunday School will meet on the fourth Sunday of this month, March 24, for story reading, a discussion, and a fun craft. Treats will be provided. All are welcome!
Have a great week,
Margo Greer

     Welcome to the first of three March Learning Together lessons. As always, you and your whole family are invited to listen and read and create and pray around one particular story.
     This month’s story is called “The Sun Stops Shining” and is found on pages 302-309 of The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. (This book can be ordered online, or a free copy can be found at our church.)
     Children: It is time to listen to the new story being orally read to you. The story is a sad one but remember that all turns out well for everyone in the end! It is the reason that Jesus was born into this world. It is all part of God’s plan and the Big Rescue.
     Many people in the world such as ourselves use a calendar that starts counting on the year of the birth of Jesus, which is called year 1. (This is because His birth was such an important event.) At that time, the Romans were a large group of people living in Italy who came to rule very large parts of Europe, the near East (where Jesus lived), and North Africa. The Romans, who ran the government, did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, and they treated people (early Christians) who did believe with incredible cruelty, as our story describes.
     Adults: The Biblical reference for our Crucifixion story is Matthew 27, Mark 15, and John 19.
     Crucifixion was not only one of the most disgraceful and painful forms of death, but it was also one of the most dreaded methods of execution in the ancient world. Accounts of crucifixions are recorded among early civilizations, most likely originating with the Persians, and then spreading to the Assyrians, Scythians, Carthaginians, Germans, Celts, and Britons. Crucifixion as a type of capital punishment was primarily reserved for traitors, captive armies, slaves, and the worst of criminals. Crucifying criminals became common under the rule of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC).
     In the Bible story of the Crucifixion of Jesus, the Jewish high council accused Jesus of blasphemy and decided to put him to death, but first, they needed Rome to sanction their death sentence. Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, who found him innocent. Pilate had Jesus flogged and then sent to Herod, the Roman Jewish client King of Judea, who sent Him back.
     The Jewish high council demanded that Jesus be crucified, so Pilate, fearing the Jews, turned Jesus over to one of his centurions to carry out the death sentence. Jesus was publicly beaten, mocked, and spit on. A crown of thorns was placed on His head. He was stripped of His clothes and led to Golgotha.
     A mixture of vinegar, gall, and  myrrhwas offered to him, but Jesus refused it. Stakes were driven through Jesus' wrists and ankles, fastening him to the cross where he was crucified between two convicted criminals. The inscription above his head read, "The King of Jews.”
     Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity, died on a Roman cross. Christian theology teaches that Christ's death provided the perfect atoning sacrifice for the sins of all humankind, thus making the crucifix, or cross,one of the defining symbols of Christianity.
~This Week’s Prayer: I give unending thanks for Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice. Amen
     There will be two more online lessons in the next two weeks about the story of the death of Jesus. Sunday School will meet on the fourth Sunday of this month, March 24th, for story reading, a discussion, and a fun craft. Treats will be provided! All are welcome.
 Enjoy the beautiful weather,
Margo Greer